Moon Gardening

What gardener wouldn't want to increase their crop yield and grow healthier, better tasting food, while reducing work and forking out less on fertilizer? This seemingly impossible win-win is achieved by planting and reaping in tune with the phases of the moon. Lunar gardening has been around for as long we have pulled food from the soil. It was practiced by the Incas and the Native Americans, and is still followed by the Maoris and rural communities in Eastern Europe—because it works. But with the mass adoption of fertilizers achieving quicker results for a need-it-now-generation, these techniques had been all but forgotten by the modern gardener. Head gardener at Cornwall's famous Tresillian Estate, John Harris, has researched, studied, and put in to practice the principles of gardening by the phases of the moon for more than 40 years. The results he's achieved are nothing short of astonishing. He has never watered his garden, he only grows organically, and yet he's won numerous show awards and prizes for the size, abundance, and taste of his produce. Here he shows you how you can do the same by following a few simple principles. This book, written in his own inimitable style, is packed full of tips that improve results, anecdotes that inspire, and resources you can rely on. Its ultimate aim is to pass on John's treasure trove of horticultural knowledge to future generations, so that we can all get more from our garden. And before you ask, no: moon gardening doesn't mean you have to start digging at night.

John Harris is head gardener at Tresillian House. Jim Rickards is the author of Out of Russia and a former editor for HarperCollins and BBC.